ICC raises tuition to keep being ‘nationally recognized’

Hike will be $10 per credit hour,generate $2.05 million in revenue, more than half going for wage increases

Thomas Bruch of the Journal Star

PEKIN — The Illinois Central College Board of Trustees on Thursday approved a $10 per credit hour tuition hike.

Beginning in the fall, tuition will be raised from $115 per credit hour to $125 an hour, a change that the college estimates will generate about $2,050,000 in revenue.

As the state of Illinois continually delays funding to community colleges year after year, ICC has been forced to raise tuition over the last decade. The state currently owes ICC about $2 million. But that didn’t make Thursday’s decision any easier, trustees said.

“I would guess it gives half of us heartburn and the other half of us migraines just considering raising tuition,” said ICC Board Chairwoman Katherine Coyle. “It’s not something any of us want to do. The increase was necessary in order for us to continue to be a nationally recognized community college.”

Of the $2,050,000 potentially generated from the increase, about $1,110,000 will go toward scheduled wage increases for staff.

The other revenue will fund state-mandated Illinois Veterans’ Grant Program for war veterans returning from combat seeking higher education. The state mandates those veterans receive grants to pay for tuition but has refused to fund them with any consistency. ICC has paid for the grants on its own, and in recent years has placed it as a line item on the budget in anticipation of the state’s lack of funding.

“It’s a shame the state is not helping us with veterans’ assistance,” Coyle said. “But we have to stop depending on the state.”

The board voted 6-2 in favor of the tuition hike, with Trustees Gale Thetford and Diane Lamb dissenting. Each had misgivings with raising tuition as other local colleges, like Eureka College, have frozen tuition. ICC remains one of the most affordable community colleges in central Illinois and less expensive than nearby Heartland College and Spoon River College.

President John Erwin vehemently advocated for the tuition hike during the meeting, saying that freezing tuition would be a “wrong-minded and regressive” for the college.

The meeting was held at the ICC South Campus in Pekin as the college reviews the feasibility of the location over the next year. Pekin community leaders were in attendance and offered their support for the campus.

Thomas Bruch can be reached at 686-3188 or tbruch@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasBruch.